United States

Red Cross Text Donations Delayed After ‘Inundation' of Messages

"Nothing has stopped being processed, it’s just a little bit delayed and we’re so thankful that so many people are being so generous," spokesperson says

If you tried helping Harvey relief efforts by texting the American Red Cross to donate, you might have received an unexpected message back.

But the Red Cross said that's no reason to worry.

"What’s happening is that the American public is extraordinarily generous and we’re so thankful for this," said Catherine Rabenstine, the regional spokesperson for the American Red Cross of Northern Illinois. "There has been an inundation of text messages to our text-to-give line." 

Some who texted to donate reported receiving a message back that read: 

Hello! Because of the overwhelming response to Hurricane Harvey, donations are taking longer than usual to process. If you'd like to join the queue to donate via text, reply CONTINUE now. It may take up to 48 hours for you to receive a prompt to confirm your $10 donation. Alternatively, if you are eager to make a gift now, visit http://lil.ms/1td5/415uqz.

Rabenstine said those who reply with "continue" will see their donations processed between 24 and 48 hours of their text. 

"Nothing has stopped being processed, it’s just a little bit delayed and we’re so thankful that so many people are being so generous," she said. 

So far, more than 35,000 people have sought refuge at Red Cross and partner shelters following "catastrophic" flooding in Texas. 

Harvey made landfall in southeast Texas late Friday as a Category 4 hurricane. It lingered over Houston as a tropical storm, causing unprecedented flooding and stranding residents who remained in their homes. Early Wednesday, Harvey made a second landfall, this time hitting southwestern Louisiana.

The Red Cross is also calling for blood donations, being accepted throughout the country, on its website. 

NBC Universal and our parent company Comcast are working to assist the American Red Cross in supporting Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

"We are just so thankful that the American public has seen the need to give and help support these efforts," Rabenstine said. 

Several other organizations in the Chicago area and nationwide are accepting donations to help with the relief efforts. Click here for more ways to donate. 

Contact Us